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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Vacation, Special Needs, and What I Wore

Vacationing with a special needs child can be tough. I often wonder if it would be easier to stay home; routine, familiarity and sensory stuff at our disposal. However, a different environment allows me to learn more about Dan, see how he responds to new situations, expose him to new things, and enjoy him in a different context. So here's a little run down of our vacation, what I wore, and how we all did.

Dan trashed our hotel room the minute we got there, lol.

The first day, I wore this top I made 2 years ago. I love it! It's a racerback with a draped color blocked front and low peter pan collar. So comfy and great for vacay.

We spent a lot of time in the hotel pool downstairs. One of the things that keeps Dan calm is water. If he were in water all day, he would be so still and peaceful.

My oldest also enjoys water but is less adventurous in the pool.

On the third day we made our way to the shore. I loved seeing this sign. Stronger than the storm...

I wore this shirt on the third day. Small shirt to draped tank, tutorial here

Near the shore, we stopped to play miniature golf. Dan was not into it at all and he would not let go of his blanket but it's all about exposure to new things.

My oldest, on the other hand, loved it! He is land, while Dan is sea. Opposite sides of the spectrum indeed.

Amusement park rides also calm Dan down. He loves motion. Water and motion are his favorites! Here we are on the same train ride we took last year, I wrote about it in this post and took the same exact picture. This year I knew the drill; I went straight to the customer affairs office and asked for my bracelet, the bracelet that allows Dan to ride free because, well, he's "special". It's interesting that they put the bracelet on the mother and not the child.Last year was the first year I had to grapple with the fact that Dan does indeed act "special". I couldn't hide behind the the late bloomer label anymore and he outed me as a special needs mom.

My special needs mom coming out bracelet.

All in all, we had a great time and it was a much needed change of scenery. The end of the summer is approaching. Would love to hear what you all did!

10 comments:

Nell: I think Dan and Angel are long lost twins. I can't wait for them to meet. Angel loves water and motion. So happy to hear that your family had a great trip. I can relate to your reference to "late bloomer." At a certain point, I too has my special needs coming out.

I'm so glad vacationing works with your son. You'll build a lot of family memories. Traveling was too stressful for my girl and eventually we gave up. She loved water, too. I found you on the Love That Max blog.

Linda, I hear you! It is still difficult with Dan and our aunt is with us as well to help (couldn't include her in the story cuz she is super private). For us, it's more about the change in scenery but it is a lot of work. I usually need a vacation from my vacation!

Looks like your family had a wonderful vacation. I totally get "wanting to stay home." Although we have different circumstances, sometimes routine is the last straw of sanity I have.I love the racer back tank!

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About Me

Hola! Welcome to Girl Reconstructed. I screen print, sew, and redesign stuff.
I write about my garment refashions, art making musings, and creative entrepreneurship, sometimes through the lens of a special needs mom.
If you would like to send me an e-mail, please do at nellescalante9@gmail.com